India, March 1 -- India does not lack laws to curb reckless driving. What it lacks is seriousness in enforcement, courage in prosecution and urgency in judicial response.

India's roads kill more than 1.6 lakh people every year - one of the highest road fatality counts in the world. Speeding, racing, drunk driving and underage driving have become routine headlines. Yet despite the scale of devastation, our criminal justice system continues to treat most fatal crashes as unfortunate accidents rather than preventable crimes of dangerous behaviour.

Real deterrence can begin tomorrow - without a single amendment. It simply requires using the legal powers that already exist. The first failure happens at the FIR stage.

Most fatal crashes are ...